Phase
by SilverPedals1402
Summary: Everyone has their stages or as some would say, phases. When Pepper goes into a phase, Tony and herself have to make that one big decision lots of families make. -set when team iron man are all 23 years old.- Unsure about rating, nothing you cant handle, so K plus or T.


**This isnt a multichapter story, so it doesn't take any more time than it already has. It was all written on my Kindle, so yes there is mistakes... I was unsure if i would post this, so...i though i'd give it a shot. Its only a one shot, but theres an opening for more chapters. I thought i'd mention that. So if you read this and enjoy it, and want more, i'll try. So yeah... i haven't seen much like this, yet i have, but i know theres one story that could be sorta like this, if i continued it...**

**The entire team is 23, so its a future fic i guess, thought i'd tell you.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own IMAA and i'm not making a penny with this.  
**

*June 13, 2017 -12:31 PM*

"He's so cuuuuuute!" Pepper giggled, lightly poking the baby's belly in the woman's arms.

"Isn't he?" Mabel, Rhodey's wife, said with a smile.

The two women cooed over the newborn baby with smiles that put the sun to shame. The baby was on the tan side much like it's father, but had his mothers gray eyes. The baby wriggled in his mothers arms. His hand was rightly fisted around the mothers finger.

Tony and Rhodey sat back patiently waiting for the two girls to calm down. "He is cute." Tony commented.

"I know." Rhodey replied proudly.

His son, who was as beautiful as his wife and as handsome as himself. The baby's eyes were so wide as his mothers. He definitely had her eyes. Her nose as well. Really all he saw that was his own in the baby's features was the darker skin tone. Not as dark as his own, but still enough to be noticed.

"You name him yet?" Tony questioned.

"Yep," Rhodey said holding his head up higher. "Theodore, after Mabel's father. Theo for short."

"Theo..." Tony said testing the name out. "I like it."

Rhodey nodded in pride. He stood up from his seat and moved so he was holding his wife's hand. "You did great, Hun!"

His wife was Mabel Sheffler, now shes Mabel Rhodes. She had flowing brown hair with gray eyes, wide, gray eyes. Her skin was light but she had a small tan. The two met two weeks after graduation at a celebration party a relative threw. One of his cousins brought Mabel along and the two, Rhodey and Mabel, became quick friends. They ended up dating for three years and getting married at 22. Then not too long later Mabel was pregnant with little Theo.

His wife smiled even more and looked up to her husband proudly. "Hes going to be wise as you are."

There was tears running down her beat looking face. It looked as if it had bruises all over it, but really it was only from giving birth. Rhodey wiped the tears of her face.

Pepper, who took the baby from the woman's arms, walked over to Tony. "Isn't he cute?"

"Of course he is. Hes Rhodey's son after all." Tony said looking to Theo.

Then Pepper was setting him down it Tony's arms. "Don't you think grandma Rhodes would want to hold him first?"

Grandma Rhodes, Roberta. They decided to call her grandma Rhodes due to the odd feeling when you say grandma Roberta.

"Just hold him for a second Tony." Pepper scolded Tony.

The two were actually newlywed. They started to date after the alien invasion until they were 21 then they got engaged. They were engaged till only three months previous to Theo's birth. That was when they got married at Pepper's vacation house in Florida. They came home after their honeymoon and about a month later they were called being told that Mabel was in labor and being invited to visit the hospital. Tony and his dad were in the waiting room while Pepper: Mabel's best friend, Rosy: Mabel's mother, Rhodey, and Michael: Mabel's father were in the room.

Tony cradled the baby in his arms. He didn't feel like talking to it. But he smiled as Theo's hand swindle around almost hitting Tony in the face. "Whoa! Careful, your gonna take someone out like that."

Pepper laughed. "See?"

Tony ignored her. Theo had black hair, or just really dark brown hair. It was amazing just how beautiful this child was. Pepper sat next to him and rested her chin on his shoulder. "I want a kid." She mumbled aimlessly.

Tony's smile faded. "What?"

Peppers cheeks flared up red. "Nothing!"

Though Tony saw the sparkle in her eye that what she said was the honest truth. He could see it in her eyes as she looked at Theo that she wanted one of her own. One to call her own. But it wasn't like she could do it alone. She couldn't just go to a store or Santa and ask for a baby. There was adoption centers and he was pretty sure that wasn't what Pepper meant by wanting one of her own.

He smiled at the baby one last time for the time being and walking the baby to its grandmother.

Tony sat down and wrapped an arm around d Peppers shoulder. She snuggled into him with a happy and content smile. 'A kid, huh?' He thought to himself shaking his head. He didn't even know if he was ready for that kind of thing.

…

(Seven months later) -January 24

There was a small gurgling noise as Mabel patted Theo's back. Mabel gave a short laugh as she called to her husband to take the now dirty towel from her shoulder.

"Does he always spit up like that?" Pepper asked as Mabel cleaned the baby's mouth.

She shook her head with a warm smile. "No, sometimes he only burps and that's it."

Pepper laughed. She was going to babysit Theo that day and she was more excited than a child at Christmas. Tony was busy with iron man stuff and she, who had a small job as a receptionist at Stark Solutions, has this Sunday off. She went to school for a few months for Shield, but it didn't really work out as she planned. So she went with Tony to work at the company they made together as teens. Rhodey had also joined them, amongst many others, even Happy, after deciding not to leave his friends and family behind.

She chose to be the receptionist. Tony had offered a few years back for a higher job offer, but she insisted that others needed the job more than herself. She was married to a rich guy, why would she use a job like that to get even more money when plenty others needed it?

"Remember, he likes to gnaw or teeth on stuff and if he starts to eat anything, replace it with a teething toy." Mabel reminded her.

Pepper already knew of course, but she nodded anyways. She got her list of instructions earlier that after noon. It was too bad Tony had iron man business to take care of. It would've been fun hanging out with Theo together. Iron man stuff was really rare nowadays. Ever since Justin had taken out mast of his villains he didn't face much. AIM was the only repeat offenders. Otherwise it was odd things like an alien getting lost on the wrong planet, actually happened too. All over the news. It was a false alarm though, for the alien meant no harm. Or people with terrible childhoods or someone nautical plain out insane.

But it had to be today when AIM had to attempt to steal from Stark Solutions. When the two were scheduled to watch Theo for Rhodey and Mabel's date. She never told Rhodey about it. It would've ruined the twos date.

"Okay, we're gonna go!" Mabel said handing Pepper Theo and blowing a kiss to her son who giggled in response. "Be home in a flash lil guy!"

Pepper smiled and waved out the door to the now driving away couple. When they were out of sight Pepper looked down to the baby in her arms. "Have I told you how cute you are?"

The baby shoved his fist in his mouth in response. "I guess so..." Pepper whispered.

She walked inside curious what to do first. She wanted to play with the little guy. She wanted to cuddle with him. She wanted to feel his soft chunky cheeks. There was so much to do. She could feed him and watch the spoon partly disappear in the chub of the baby's cheeks. This all made her think.

She remembered talking to Tony other night in bed. She had rambled on about how cute Theo was and the baby next door to them named, Bella. She remembered her back against his chest, his arms around her as she rambled to the point she said she wanted her own kid. As she had done twice since the birth of Theo. Total it was four times. Four times did she mention her wish to having a child. She would be embarrassed if he had said something about it.

Part of her felt he was just putting off her thoughts as random blurt outs. Maybe he only saw them as a way to say that kids were cute. But a fair part of her felt as if he was silent about it all was because he was seriously considering it. She didn't know what she wanted. She didn't know if she wanted him to care or ignore it. She didn't even know if she should care or ignore any of it.

A shrill cry broke her train of thought. She looked to Theo. "Shh, shh, its okay!

She started to hum a soft tune to the crying baby. The entire time she had a smile on her face. "Hush, my precious prince."

Moments later the baby was sound asleep.

…

:that night:

Rhodey and Mabel came home to a very happy baby. Pepper almost wanted to never let go of little Theo. But at some point she had to let him go to his parents. So she went home to a very well smelling home.

"I'm home!" She sang out sarcastically like the TV shows.

She hear the soft laugh she loved so much. Then she saw the one she loved walk in wearing her pink apron. He wore a bight smile in his face. She giggled.

"What in earth are you doing? I thought we both agreed that you wouldn't cook." Pepper asked.

They had. The last time he cooked he ended using some kind of cleaning spay instead of cooking grease to make the food not stick. They were both sick the next day.

"Well, I thought I'd try once more and I made sure I didn't mistake the cleaning spray for the other stuff. Tiny said. "Plus, there's something we need to talk about."

Before Pepper could respond, Tony grabbed her hand and gave her a quick kiss before bringing her to the kitchen. To where a meal of gravy covered noodles and meat and biscuits. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "If I get sick because of this, you will never set foot in the kitchen again."

Tony laughed. "One time and all of a sudden I'm your worst enemy."

"Well I like food." pepper simply stated.

After they served up their plates and we're a few bites in, Pepper looked to Tony. He was fidgeting a bit. Not much that the average person would notice, but she saw it clearly enough. He said there was something he had to talk about. What?

"Pep." Tony started before she could say anything. "I've been thinking."

"Yeah?" Pepper asked when Tony paused.

"I've been thinking about Theo, you, me, well...us." he looked to the kitchen window. "And, I have noticed how you've been obsessing over babies."

"They're cute..." Pepper defended.

"They are...I think they're cute too, and I've thought it out and..."

There was a moment of silence. Pepper knew what he was trying to say. She knew exactly what he was thinking. She just wanted him to say it. She wanted to know he wasn't just telling her no.

"I was thinking, um..." Tony's face was now a bit red. "We could..."

Her face went from curious and suspicious to shocked. It was a big choice. A huge choice. Should she say yes? Or no? She wanted one, she wanted a baby to call her own, but she still lived in fear of losing Tony. She didn't want a kid to have that same life.

Then again, babies were so cute. And this was Tony. Tony who might as well be voted the least romantic person ever, was requesting kids. She understood. She understood her constant 'request' for the as well was something that was encouraging him.

She had always wondered what their kids would look like. His eyes and her hair. No his hair and her eyes. He should have blue eyes though. She shook her head.

She saw Tony's embarrassed face as he looked down. She nodded wildly, seeing her mistake. She let out a squeal as she ran in to Tony and the two fell out of their chairs. "Oof!"

Her arms were entangled around his neck as she pressed her lips against his with eagerness and passion. She was breathless already so she broke away.

Tony looked at her with surprise. "Is that a yes...?"

"You really need to ask?" She replied quick to kiss him again.

She didn't care what the future was to bring. She didn't want to worry at the time. She wanted to enjoy the sweet bliss of the idea of a little baby running around the house. She just had to wait and see what the future held for them. Things could go wrong, but they had each other and at the moment, that was all that mattered.

...

**So that was it, i remember reading a book and it had the two main characters making the same decision, so i thought i'd twist it up a bit and make it a IMAA fanfic. A lot of the things you read of mine, are going to be inspired by something. I try to tell you what it is, but sometimes i cant tell you the origin of the idea. i just remembered where Victims Vs. Suspects came from. It was psych. A TV show...so yeah now you know.  
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**I really don't know what you guys are going to say to this, but please no flames...its not something i would usually write, but i thought it be cute. So, yeah...  
**


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